By Tony Adibe
Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi has asked the Imo State Governor and Chairman, SouthEast Governors’ Forum, Senator Hope Uzodinma, to galvanise his fellow governors and other Igbo leaders to support President Bola Tinubu’s second tenure in 2027.
Engr. Umahi, who said this while cutting the tape to declare open the 15-kilometre portion of the Enugu-Onitsha Highway in Enugu on Thursday, explained that President Tinubu had done so much for the South-East and deserved to be supported to continue with his good works.
According to him, under the Tinubu-led administration, the Federal Government has embarked on several road projects in the zone to the “extent that the zone has no need to be agitating against perceived marginalisation.”
Umahi said, “President Bola’s administration is reconstructing roads and infrastructure in Southeast Nigeria, marking a significant development for the region. “When we came on board in 2023, you were witnesses that it was taking over 7 hours to ride from Enugu to Onisha.
“The most important road in the entire Southeast is this road. Our people were aware of the nature of this road, and we inherited this road under the tax credit of MTN, which is being done for them by RCC,” he said, noting that everything was at a standstill until, he, Umahi, pleaded with the President as the Minister of Works to do something.
“Everything was on standstill until I went to cry out to President Bola. The president not only gave acceleration to the construction of this road, but he also directed that at least 50% of it should look like the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
“Because the project was awarded before 2023 and has stayed for eight years with no meaningful progress made. And so what we did was okay, this project was 202 billion, so we decided to review it. And so we reviewed it and allowed MTN, being done by RCC, to continue with their contract sum of 202 billion, excluding 72 km. And is this 72 km that we are doing with the quality, the texture of Lagos Calabar Coastal Highway being done by RCC reinforced concrete road pavement.”
He said that to ensure the durability of the road, they had to buy the idea of concrete finishing. According to the Minister, “Now, the first 15 km of reinforced concrete is about 97% completed. But the president directed me to come and open the road so that the people of Southeast will not suffer during Easter.
“And that’s why we’re all here to open the first 15 km of the road. The second section of 18 km of concrete road is being done towards Abia State. And the last section of 39 km is done from the gate bridge towards Abia State. And we have directed that even though you are doing it on asphalt, you have to do the last 23 km the same way as what RCC is doing. And so the idea is that asphalt will always fail, but concrete will stay between 50 and 100 years with almost no maintenance.
“And so at the completion of this project in 2026, by the special grace of God, to be done by no other person than President Bola.” Umahi, who said that he is convinced that the President has done so much for the Igbo, advised them to support him in 2027.
He said: “The same way you understood the importance of your son being Minister of works, you have to also understand the importance of being strategic in our collective decision. And I want to plead with the leaders of Southeast. We need to be vocal about what the president is doing for us. We need to be very vocal. We need to begin to engage.
“You cannot say you are supporting the president when you cannot be bold to tell our people what the president is doing for us,” he said, adding that it would be a disservice if the President’s gesture is not complemented.
“And so we have to support him. We have to support him. Yes, Southeast deserves to be president. But in 2023, we gave the right of the Southern president to President Bola. No matter who has the presidential ticket of other political parties, Southeast people must be strategic to support the president. The marginalization we are talking about is over. For the first time, your son is Minister of Works.”
